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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Gwanda Correspondent

A SELF-PROCLAIMED prophet from Maphisa has been arrested for allegedly raping an 18-year-old woman and infecting her with a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) under the pretext of healing her.

The prophet, who cannot be named for ethical reasons, was not asked to plead when he appeared briefly before Gwanda magistrate, Mrs Nomagugu Sibanda, facing two counts of rape. 

He was remanded in custody to February 26.

Prosecuting, Miss Faith Mutukwa said the accused person allegedly raped the complainant on December 16 last year after she went to his home for a cleansing ceremony as she was experiencing abdominal pains and a headache.

“On 16 December 2019 at around 3PM, the complainant went to the accused person’s home with her two-month-old baby in order to be cleansed as she was experiencing abdominal pains and a headache. The accused person took her into his ‘consultation room’ and told her to take a nap as the cleansing ceremony would be conducted at midnight when the baby was asleep.

“At around 11PM the accused person ordered the complainant to remove her clothes and gave her a white cloth to cover her body. He took her to a nearby bush where he bathed her using a concoction. After bathing they returned to the ‘consultation’ room where the accused person advised the complainant to sleep naked in the blankets for the concoction to be effective. He left and promised to come back at midnight to complete the cleansing process,” she said.

Miss Mutukwa said at midnight the accused person returned and told the complainant that he had to have sexual intercourse with her in order to remove the disease from its source. 

She said the complainant objected but the accused person pushed her to the floor and raped her twice.

Miss Mutukwa said the accused person then told the complainant that she was not supposed to reveal the matter to anyone or seek medical help as she would fall critically ill and die.

He also allegedly instructed her to spend the rest of the night at his home. 

She said on the following morning, the accused person showed the complainant a hoof of a goat and claimed to have removed it from her womb as it was causing her illness.

“The complainant didn’t tell anyone what had transpired up until she started experiencing pain in her stomach and was discharging a white substance from her private parts. She visited Maphisa District Hospital on January 6 where they examined her and discovered that she was suffering from an STI. The complainant narrated what the accused person had done to her and the matter was reported to the police,” Miss Mutukwa said. – @DubeMatutu